Worthing paedophile Jordan Croft jailed at Lewes Crown Court

Jordan Croft, from Worthing, abused 26 young girls after posing as a 16-year-old boy online.

The 26-year-old pleaded guilty to 65 counts relating to serious child sexual abuse at Lewes Crown Court.

Croft, of Westdean Road, was described as an “extremely dangerous”, “serial paedophile”.

He used images his victims sent to him to blackmail them into performing ever more depraved acts on camera for his own pleasure, a judge said.

Some of the girls he made film themselves were only 12-years-old.

Her Honour Judge Christine Laing KC told Croft he had perpetrated a “lengthy, premeditated and sadistic” campaign of abuse against young girls.

Jordan Croft at Lewes Crown Court (Image: Sussex News and Pictures)

He used classic grooming techniques before turning, the judge said.

“You were threatening to send the images to parents, social media and schoolmates if they did not perform increasingly depraved acts,” judge Laing said.

“You made them sign bizarre contracts agreeing to forms of behaviour.

“Your desire was to control, humiliate and subjugate them.”

The abuse took place in their own homes leaving them feeling they had no safe space to retreat to, the judge said.

“They were terrified of people finding out,” she said.

“They felt they had no option but to submit to your disgusting and depraved demands.”

Croft bragged he was an expert in cyber security who could not be caught and told his victims he had already ruined the lives of 100 girls.

• Read more: Man, 26, blackmailed girls as young as 12 online to become his 'sex slaves'

He forced the girls to perform depraved sex acts and recruit others to join them.

His offending was constant, even bombarding victims with demands while he was at work in Brighton.

One girl was made to film herself on the bus to school.

Croft's house was raided and searched by the National Crime Agency (Image: Sussex News and Pictures)

Another was ordered to take a naked picture of a seven-year-old she was babysitting.

His merciless demands carried on despite victims telling him they were having suicidal thoughts.

When one girl told him she was cutting herself, Croft said he would punish her more.

The girls were given strict time limits to perform his depraved demands.

When one 14-year-old girl told him she was having panic attacks, Croft made her recruit her friend.

He threatened to kidnap another teenager and said her only way out was to have sex with Croft.

“You were boasting about being a paedophile who could not stop,” Judge Laing said.

“You told another girl you were really into toilet stuff and it wasn’t really domination unless she was a little scared.

Croft dehumanised and degraded his victims, the judge said.

One girl was forced to drink her own urine, the court heard.

Croft used social media platforms to contact at least 5,000 potential victims, the court heard.

Images found on his phone showed Croft has a sexual interest in very young children as well as early teenagers.

Computers were seized from Croft's address in Westdean Road (Image: Sussex News and Pictures)

The semi-detached house, that Croft shared with his then girlfriend, was raided and searched by the National Crime Agency (NCA) in September 2019, who seized computers over a number of days.

NCA director Chris Farrimond said Croft was now a single man.

Croft refused to hand over passwords to any of his accounts and it took investigators six months to break the encryption.

He used 20 different usernames on four social media platforms to contact at least 5,000 potential victims.

He moved the girls on to messaging apps to groom them for his depraved desires.

Victims were identified from all over the country including Yorkshire and Humber.

They found more than 900 images and chat logs.

Croft told his victims their bodies were his property.

Mr Farrimond said the volume and severity of online child sex offending is increasing with between 550,000 to 850,000 people in the UK posing a threat to children.

“Three clicks of a mouse and you can be straight onto abuse material,” he said.

“We can’t arrest our way out of this.”

“Police are making 800 arrests every month, he said.

“Croft didn’t have a degree in cyber security.

“His level of security was outstanding.

“His technical knowledge was extremely high and he was extremely confident he wouldn’t be caught.

“It’s almost like he’s in their bedroom,” he said.

Judge Laing said Croft would have been jailed for 28 years had he not pleaded guilty to the 65 charges.

He was sentenced to 18 years in prison with an eight-year extension.

He will serve at least two thirds of his sentence in prison before being eligible for parole.